First Day of School!

Yesterday was my first day of school. I was quite nervous as I approached the building, hoping they would understand my attempts at being polite. It turns out everyone was great! It was a teacher meeting day so there were no classes. However, there were many students present who were participating in various after-school activities.

The students in the hallways all looked at me in shock and disbelief. Some were friendly and said hello, others gazed at me in bewilderment, and a few took one look at me and ran the other way! I walked into the kingergarten class to introduce myself and all of the students literally screamed. One girl even started crying at the sight of me! Apparently I am working in a lower-income school, and many of these young kids have never seen a foreigner before.

The staff was all very friendly and enthusiastic about my arrival. Many want me to help them work on their English skills, which I will be glad to do. For lunch, the entire staff went to a sushi restaurant where we proceeded to feast on various dishes of fish and octopus. The principal even poured me a shot of soju as a gesture of his kindness. I poured him a shot in return, and all of the teachers chanted, "Ohh, good manners!"

During lunch, a teacher and I had a nice cultural exchange! I explained to him the difference between "hot" and "spicy," then he attempted to teach me how to use chopsticks the correct way (something I am still struggling with).

Some Numbers to Crunch

In class the other day, I learned some interesting statistics about South Korea.

1) Over the last two years, South Korea has sunk $500 million into English education!

2) South Korea spends 19.6% of its GDP on education. The US spends around 3% on education.

NOTE: The US spends the most money in the world on education when judged in absolute dollars. However, South Korea trumps the US in % of GDP

Korean Culture in Regards to Baseball

South Koreans love baseball. They have a professional baseball league with 9 teams spanning the country. However, a Korean game of baseball is slightly different than an American game. Though the rules are the same, the players' cultural etiquette causes them to approach the game from a different angle. The Busan Haps, a Korean newspaper geared towards expatriates, states that, "In the Korean league, umpires are apt to apologize for an unfavorable call and some change their minds as a gesture of politeness." Korean culture emphasizes social harmony to such an extent that it even has an effect on the nation's approach to professional baseball. Fascinating!

Today I learned that the city of Gwangju has its own professional baseball team: the Kia Tigers! These guys are apparently pretty awesome, like the Korean equivalent of the New York Yankees in the 1990s. They hold 9 National Championship titles, and have only been around for a quarter century! I'm definitely trying to hit up some games.

Koreans Love Neon Signs

Here's a pic of downtown Jeonju

Oops I Did It Again (Korean Style)

Last night me and some friends from the program went out in downtown Seonju! First we went to a restaurant called Boobi Boobi (haha) for drinks and and some appetizers. This place was pretty nice. Each table had its own little space behind beaded curtains and everyone had to take their shoes off and sit on mats on the floor (pretty standard for Asia I believe). I was expecting to have to pay $20-30 dollars for my beer and food and was prepared to do so. However, when we got the bill, I found that it came to a whopping $4 dollars a person! KOREA IS SO CHEAP, I LOVE IT! After that we ventured into a NOREBONG. This was my favorite part of the night. Norebangs are private karaoke rooms- theyre very popular in Asia. You pick your song and sing along with a microphone. The coolest part of this was the ridiculous music videos that play along on the tv while you're singing....

Highway Rest Stop in South Korea

Finally Arrived

After 48 hours of exhaustive travel, I have finally arrived to the lovely city of Jeonju, South Korea. I am staying at the local university here for a week of training before shipping off to Gwangju to begin my year-long career as an English teacher. The humidity here is SWELTERING. It is far worse than both CT and Philly. To make matters worse, all of my checked luggage got lost on the trip, so all I have to my name right now is my laptop and the clothes on my back (which I have worn for the last two days straight). Yes, I am the stinky kid at orientation, and it seems there is little I can do about it. I'm scared to take my shoes off because my socks are undoubtedly rancid. On the plus side, the food is here is delicious. I just had a glorious lunch at Jeonju University's cafeteria. Kimchi is the jawn! It's spicy fermented cabbage. I know that sounds gross but it is actually quite delectable. Also, I've met some cool people and saw an even cooler giant mural of Donkey Kong spinning vinyl (above).